The Other Trainer
by tehedward
Summary: Ash and Gary weren't the only two to leave Pallet Town with Pokemon that day. There were two other's, this is the story of one of them as he takes his very first steps out from childhood and into the world. His goal, to be a Pokemon master.
1. Alex and Bree

**So this is the first chapter for 'The Other Trainer'. It's basically a telling of the story of one of the other trainers from Pallet. It's set during the same time and in the same universe as the anime, but there is also a little bit of the games in here as well, along with some original concepts as well. Standard disclaimer I don't own Pokémon or any of its characters.**

**s**

**Chapter 1: Alex and Bree**

**s**

Alex Haven looked around Professor Oak's lab expectantly, he knew that he had arrived a little early but he hadn't thought that it had been that early. But really who could blame him, because he was finally ten years old and today was the day that he would finally get his Pokémon license and his very first Pokémon. Okay so maybe 5:30 in the morning was a little early, still he had to get here early if he was going to get the first pick of the Pokémon.

"Oh wow, Alex you're here early!" A voice calls out causing Alex to startle and jump around quickly.

"Oh geeze!"

"Ha ha ha, sorry to startle you." Says the kindly Professor Oak.

"Oh it's okay Professor, and I am sorry that I'm here so early, I was just so excited, I can't wait to get my first Pokémon, I couldn't sleep at all last night and I finally just gave up and made my way down here." This was all said in rapid succession as he rubs the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Oh, it's no trouble at all, and while normally I wouldn't do this I can appreciate your enthusiasm, and I'll let you pick up your stuff right now." Professor Oak says with a smile.

"Really professor!?" Alex says excitedly.

"Yes really, I trust you've done your homework and have decided on which Pokémon you want to start out with?" The professor asks as he leads the young boy to the starter room.

"Yeah, actually I've been reading up and studying about what Pokémon I wanted for over a year now, and I finally came to a decision."

The two of them finally reach the starting trainer's room, it's filled with pamphlets, pokeballs, pokedexes, books and other items for beginning trainers and in the middle of the room is a small pedestal and sitting on it are three pokeballs.

"Really? I'm impressed, even my grandson didn't start studying until three months ago." Professor Oak says surprised.

"Well, the thing is, I really wanted to know how to take care of it, I wanted to make sure that I knew what I was doing instead of just rushing head long into things. I mean we knew in advance what Pokémon we would have to choose from so I began to study all three of them, then I read up on the different areas here in Kanto, you know, common Pokémon, various gym leaders, common and uncommon terrain and I weighed the pros and cons of each one until finally I figured out which one I think will work out best. And once my decision was made and I knew which Pokemon I wanted I just couldn't stop looking things up about them." Alex finishes with another embarrassed laugh.

"That's very good Alex, I'm impressed and no wonder you got here so early, this was not a decision that was lightly made on your part. So what Pokémon did you finally decide on?"

"Charmander. I would like Charmander to be my first partner."

"A good choice." Professor Oak says as he reaches over for the pokeball and then hands it to the ten year old.

"Why don't you let it out and get to know it better." He recommends. This is his favorite part of the job, witnessing the first moment a new trainer meets their very first Pokémon. There is nothing quite like it, the awe and wonder in the new trainer's eyes, the wary yet hopeful look in the Pokémon's eyes. Neither one of them aware of just how truly significant this moment is, and they probably won't realize it till many years later. But at this moment, when trainer and Pokémon first meet, a lifelong bond is formed, and come what may, this will be one of the most important, if not _the_ most important meeting of their entire lives. It's truly a blessing to be able to see this moment, the start of their journey, for who knows how it will end.

"Great idea professor!" Alex eagerly grasps the pokeball in his hands, and Professor Oak smiles as he watches the boy lightly shake with anticipation, finally he presses the button.

"Come on out, Charmander."

And with a beam of red and a flash of light standing before the boy is a young Charmander.

Alex's eyes widen in awe, this was it, from this moment forward he was a Pokémon trainer. He kneels down to get a better look at his new partner. The little lizard has bright ocean blue eyes and dark orange scales and on its tail is a small healthy flame. It looks up at him and tilts its head.

"Char?" It says in a soft voice.

Alex thinks back to his reading on the species, this one due to its smaller claws but larger teeth, along with the darker shade of orange indicates that it's a female. And in his opinion, there has never been a cuter, more adorable Pokémon. For him, it's love at first sight.

"Hi," his speaks softly, his voice slightly cracking as he tries to hold himself together, feeling much more emotional than he thought he would. It wouldn't do to cry in front of his new partner or the Professor in this case. But this was more intense than he ever thought it would be. He had read about how Pokémon and their trainers could form bonds but he expected it to take months of traveling together, if not years to show anything significant. But that wasn't the case here, at least not with him. He slowly puts out his hand out towards the Charmander so that it can inspect it and start to get comfortable around him.

The little fire lizard Pokémon cautiously leans in and sniffs his hand before moving closer and nuzzling up against it. It lets out an excited "Char!" when Alex begins to move his hands along its body, the tiny scales feeling warm and smooth to the touch.

"You and I are partners now, so we've got to look out for each other. But I think that we're going to be okay, don't you?"

The Charmander nods her head excitedly. "Char, char, charmander."

"Now there's just one more thing before we continue on."

"Char?"

"You need a name; I mean people don't just go around calling each other human do they? Besides you're mine and I don't want there to be any confusion about it."

"Char!" the fire Pokémon exclaims in excitement, seemingly pleased with both her new trainer and the idea of having a name.

Professor Oak was surprised and pleased as well, naming your Pokémon or letting them choose a name was rarely done, most trainers preferring to just call them by their species. And there was nothing wrong with that, but he found that the rare few people who took the time to seriously name their Pokémon developed their bonds just a little quicker. It helped the Pokémon to feel less like a servant or a slave but more as an equal, a true partner.

"Charmander char?" the little Pokémon speaks up, curious as to what her new name will be.

"I hope you don't mind, but I would like to name you Bree, after my big sister." Alex says shyly and hopefully, Charmander is happy with the choice and nodes eagerly.

Professor Oak's smile dims just a little bit as he remembers the little girl that used to play with his grand-daughter, the two of them inseparable. Bree Haven had never had the opportunity to go on a Pokémon journey, when she was ten years old, Alex had been five at the time, she had gotten sick, and despite the best efforts of the various doctors, her condition continued to deteriorate. For two and a half long and painful years the Haven family had to watch as one of their own slowly died.

Their father, _'That bastard,'_ Professor Oak thinks with some venom, had run off after that first year. The responsibility of having to care for a sick child, and grieving family were too much for the coward.

His mother, she was doing the best she could with the situation. She tried her best and while at times she could be a little distant to her son, she loved him dearly and was doing the best she could for him, but he knew that most days it was a struggle for her to even get out of bed in the morning.

As for Alex himself, well the professor wasn't sure quite what to make of him just yet. But if the interaction between him and Charmander, no wait, Bree he corrected himself, were anything to go by the boy was turning out just fine.

Pokémon were excellent judges of character, and a meeting between a brand new trainer and a new starter Pokémon going so well like this, while not rare, was certainly uncommon. And definitely better than the very rare occasion when one of the two new partners didn't like the other. Now that was a worrying prospect.

"Great, Bree it is!" the boy's gleeful shout brings the professor out of his thoughts.

"Ha ha ha, well that's a fine name indeed." The professor adds in his two cents. "And now that you two have met, I think that we should get you the rest of your equipment, like say… your Pokedex and Pokeballs."

"Oh right! You ready Bree? Once we get those then we'll be able to start our journey."

"Charmander!"

Professor Oak chuckles at their enthusiasm and can only hope that the rest of the trainer meetings go half as well.

**xXx-Scene Break-xXx**

After picking up the rest of his equipment and exchanging farewells Alex and Bree left Professor Oak's lab.

"Hey, we just have one stop to make before we head out and then it's you and me and the whole wide world." Alex says as he kneels down and pets Bree. He had decided to keep her out of her Pokeball for a while so that they could get to know each other better.

During his studies he had done a little reading up on pokeballs and their different variants, and was surprised by some of what he learned. Pokémon while in their pokeballs are in a type of stasis, not quite fully aware of what was happening in the outside world but also not completely oblivious. If the Pokémon choose to focus they could tell what was going on around them.

The stasis helps keep a Pokémon relaxed and battle ready. Also while in stasis the Pokémon stays in the condition it was in when withdrawn or captured. The plus side to this is that a critically injured Pokémon's condition will not deteriorate and you can get them safely to a Pokémon Center for proper treatment. The downside is that if you didn't have the right medicines to inject into the ball, via the button on the center, then the Pokémon, if it fought the stasis, is aware of the pain that it is in.

That's why antidotes, awakenings, potions, and other items are so important. And why pokeballs are so vital in becoming a trainer. Before the invention of the pokeball many Pokémon died over the course of a trainer's journey or if they weren't killed then they were left severely scarred. Some to the point that they couldn't battle anymore. The invention of the pokeball truly changed what it meant to be a trainer. The pokeball is also programmed, in addition to capturing and storing the Pokémon, to act as a field medic hospital of sorts, until you can get it some proper help.

Pokeballs also helped to act as anti-theft devices. They automatically register the Pokémon to your pokedex. When first captured a pokeball places a small chip into the Pokémon that registers it to that pokeball. It makes returning unruly Pokémon easier and also tells other pokeballs that the Pokémon already has a trainer. Unless you severely messed with a pokeball's internal computer, both extremely difficult and very illegal to do, it made it near impossible for a Pokémon to be put into a pokeball that is not its own. At least unwillingly, a Pokémon could in fact accept a new pokeball if it chose to. Once captured in the new ball, it would wipe the memory of the old ball in the chip and replace the data with its own.

The big downside to pokeballs and why some Pokémon absolutely hated them was a condition known as stasis sickness. A Pokémon with this condition while in a pokeball experiences severe nausea and migraines. And in extreme cases it can even cause them physical pain. If you have a Pokémon that is susceptible to this condition then there are specialty pokeballs that can help take care of it, but they are extremely expensive to maintain. Between repairs costs, chemical injection costs, and just the price of the balls themselves, most trainers find it more convenient to just leave the Pokémon with this condition out of their pokeballs after their first capture.

Heal Balls and Luxury Balls will do in a pinch if you must return a Pokémon to a pokeball and they have stasis sickness, though you definitely don't want to keep them inside any longer than you have to. Luckily for most Pokémon and their trainers stasis sickness is a very rare condition. And the fact of the matter is some Pokémon just don't like being in a pokeball.

Alex and Bree walk up to a small one floor house, he unlocks the door and heads inside and is surprised to see that his mother is awake and waiting for him.

"Hi sweetie, is this your new Pokémon?" She asks him with a smile.

"Yeah… this is… I named her Bree." He says hesitantly

His mother's eyes widen in shock and then for a brief instant a flash of pain crosses them before she kneels down next to the Pokémon. "Bree is a fine name, I hope that you'll live up to it and take care of my little boy." She says softly and kindly to the fire type.

"Char." Bree says seriously, beginning to see just how big of a deal her new name is to her trainer and his family. She'll do her best to be worthy of this name and she will definitely protect her new trainer.

Alex's mother gently rubs Bree's head. "Good, I'm counting on you." She gives it one last pat before standing up and turning to her son.

"I made you both breakfast, I hope you'll stick around and eat before taking off." She says hesitantly.

"Yeah mom, that sounds great."

**xXx-Scene Break-xXx**

Breakfast is a quiet affair, nobody talks and they are eating slowly. They don't know what to say to each other. Alex feels guilty, he's leaving his mom here alone with no one to watch out for her. A part of him feels like he is abandoning her and that he's no better than his father. Another part of him though can't wait to go. This was his chance, a Pokémon adventure, just like he dreamed of and just like his sister had as well.

Kallen Haven feel's extremely guilty right now as well. And scared, and proud and a whole bunch of other emotions. She tried her best but the death of Bree and with… him leaving them she knew that she hadn't been as good of a mother to Alex as she should have been. Her poor boy had to grow up so fast and help take care of his sister when his father left and later on her. And he had never complained, not once. She was also scared for him, the world was such a dangerous place and with the news and rumors going around about this Team Rocket, along with the billions of other dangers out there, how could she ever let him leave. But despite all of that she was proud of him, so proud. He was growing up into a fine young man, who cared about others, he was kind and generous and smart. As much as she wanted him to stay here, how could she deny him this chance to see the world?

It was her good friend Delia Ketchum who finally helped her see things a little more clearly and helped her to be able to let her son go on this journey.

_"They grow up so fast, and I really worry about Ash, he has these big and difficult dreams and I just want to lock him up and keep him safe, but then I think to myself how can I deny him this chance to learn and to grow and to chase after his dreams. He'll always be my son, he'll always be my little boy but this journey that he's about to leave on will help him grow into the man that I know he can be. Keeping him here would only be for my benefit and as his mother I have to think about what is best for him and I truly believe that this is what is best for him. "_

And she was right, keeping her son here would only hurt him in the long run and she had already hurt him enough as it was. No, letting him go on this journey would be the first thing that she has done right by him in a long time.

They finish breakfast and he helps her with the dishes and then she helps him pack his bag. And as they are standing at the door saying goodbye she pulls him into a huge hug.

"Alex… I am so proud of you. I love you so much and I am so sorry for-"

"No mom, don't apologize, you did the best you could. Things were rough; I know that, but… I love you, you're my mom, it's that simple. And I'll make you proud of me."

"I already am baby..." She sobs into his shoulder. "I already am…"

She clears her throat and sniffles before pulling back and straightening his shirt with a smile. "Now, you be careful and take good care of yourself… and try not to forget your old mom while you're out there." She finishes with a tearful laugh.

Alex returns her smile and gives her one last hug. "I'll never forget you, and I'll be back before you know it. Take care of yourself and I love you."

Alex pulls away and with a final wave says his goodbyes to his mom and Pallet Town and heads toward route one. When he reaches the exit to Pallet Town he turns to his little companion.

"You ready Bree?"

"Char."

** Author's Note: So I hope that you all enjoyed this first chapter, I don't have a beta reader so I apologize for any mistakes that I make. I do read through each chapter quite a few times before I post it, but sometimes you miss things. The Pokémon regions won't be mixed up, that means no Sinnoh, Joto, Hoenn, or Unova region Pokémon. Not because they don't exist but because they just aren't found or aren't that common in the Kanto region.**

** Also I know I went on a bit of a tangent with the Pokeballs but I wanted to establish what they are and why they're there and this is my take on their purpose in the Pokémon world. Is it canon, no of course not, but I don't like the idea that all they do is just store Pokémon so I gave them a couple of purposes, and I also wanted to address the issue of items as well. The way they work is you place the nozzle of the item in question against the pokeballs button and then inject it in. The ball's computer is programmed on how to administer the doses to the Pokémon contained inside. Like I said in the story, if you have the appropriate items then a pokeball can act as a type of field hospital for your Pokémon until you can get it to a Pokémon center and it can get proper treatment. That's why pokeballs are so big, it's because they cut down the mortality rate of Pokémon on journeys by almost 100%. Sometimes bad things happen, but a pokeball can and usually does save a Pokémon's life.**

** As for stasis sickness, I needed a reason that Ash's Pikachu and other Pokémon don't always like to stay in the pokeball. Some just don't like it, but others like Ash's Pikachu have this condition and that's why even when near death Pikachu will refuse to go into its Pokeball.**


	2. Clash of Titans Sort of

**Standard Disclaimer, I don't own Pokémon, I'm just playing with its world.**

**s**

**Chapter 2: Clash of Titans… Sort of**

**s**

"So this is route one." Alex says with sigh. It's mostly fields of grass interspersed on gentle rolling hills with the occasional clump of tree's and a rare farm building out in the distance. The sky is a brilliant blue and a cool gentle breeze flows across the landscape off-setting the heat of the sun. Their combination makes for a perfect summer day.

"Char, char, charmander?" Bree asks quizzically.

"Viridian City is our first stop; we should get there by mid-afternoon or early evening. It'll really depend on the pace we set. Although I was thinking that we may stick around here for a few days and get some training in, what do you think?"

Bree shakes her little head. "Char!" She exclaimes excitedly.

"Oh so you want to see the city first huh? Well all right then, let's head out." Alex replies with a smile.

"Charmander!" Bree cheers and Alex can't help but laugh at the little lizard's enthusiasm. _'We're off to a good start._' He thinks fondly.

The duo continues to walk down the road for a couple hours and at noon they stop at a little bridge by a creek for lunch. There is a big tree stump that is acting as a make-shift picnic table and the surrounding trees make the area a pleasant place to sit in the shade and enjoy a meal.

Bree is munching on some Pokémon food, happily humming to herself, while Alex lays back and grabs a Pecha Berry from his pack and takes a bite, enjoying the sweet taste. He contemplates his next move.

_'First stop is Viridian City, at this pace if we rest here for about an hour we should be able to get there at around three. There's also a gym there that I'll need to check out. There wasn't a lot of information on the place so I'm not quite sure what to expect, but we'll definitely need to get some training in before we challenge it, plus it wouldn't hurt to have at least one more team member as well.'_

_ 'Let me think, I believe the Pokémon of this area include Pidgey, which are good if you need a fast flying Pokémon. Rattata are also pretty common in this area and are also pretty fast as well as agile, good maneuverability. But both Pidgey and Rattata are low power as far as dealing damage goes. I know that the area around Viridian City also has Spearow, not as fast as Pidgey but definitely packs more of a punch, and I've heard that Mankeys can be found there as well…. I guess I could also go to Viridian Forest and catch a bug type.'_

_ 'And if I checked around this creek area I could probably find a Poliwag, Goldeen, or even a Magikarp. Having a water type would definitely be a bonus and each one of those three has definite benefits to capturing and training, but they might be a little hard for me to get a handle on… No I'm a new trainer and if I run into one I won't pass up the chance to capture one but I should probably start off slow and easy. Pidgey or Rattata are my best bet.'_

_ 'Still no point in really worrying about it until I actually come across one.'_

"Hey Bree, enjoying your lunch?" Alex asks with a laugh as Bree continues to happily stuff her face.

"Char…char…gulp. Charmander!" Is the happy reply.

"Ha ha ha, good. We'll rest here for another half an hour and then I'll return you to your pokeball and we'll continue on."

"Char." Bree nods in acknowledgement before turning back to her bowl and licking it clean.

"Feel free to wonder around a bit but don't stray out of sight okay."

"Charmander." She replies with a nod, but instead of wondering off she makes her way over to Alex and curls up beside him for a nice quick nap. Alex smiles and gently pats her head before setting the alarm on his watch for 30 minutes. He tosses the rest of his half eaten Pecha Berry and then closes his eyes to sleep.

**xXx-Scene Break-xXx**

A happy trilling sound wakes Alex and Bree from their slumber and he looks over to see two Poliwags happily sharing his discarded Pecha Berry while a mothering Poliwhirl looks on. Alex smiles at the sight and slowly reaches over for his pokedex. He turns off the sound so as not to startle them before he begins to scan them and then reads their entries.

**Poliwag- The Tadpole Pokémon: Its newly grown legs prevent it from walking well. It appears to prefer swimming over walking. The direction of the spiral on the belly differs by area.**

** Poliwhirl- The Tadpole Pokémon: It can live in or out of water. When out of water, it constantly sweats to keep its body slimy. Under attack, it uses its belly spiral to put the foe to sleep.**

As Alex finishes reading their pokedex entries he glances up at the three Pokémon once again and decides against actually capturing them. As much as anyone of those Pokémon would be a great early edition to his team he just can't bring himself to interrupt their happy little lunch gathering.

Bree looks up at him quizzically, silently asking if they are going to battle them and he shakes his head no.

He quietly reaches over to his bag and pulls out two Oran Berries, and then he splits one in half. He then quietly coughs to catch the three water type's attention.

"Ahem."

The two Poliwag jump behind the Poliwhirl startled and the Poliwhirl steps in front of the two younger Pokémon in a defensive stance. Alex slowly raises his hands in surrender to show that he means no harm and a quick glance down shows that Bree is copying the action.

He then slowly reaches over to the two halves of the one Oran Berry and slowly makes his way over to the water Pokémon before kneeling down in front of them. He then places the two halves of the berry on the ground and then slowly backs away and smiles.

"For your two friends there."

He then grabs the whole berry and gently tosses it over as well. "And that one's for you." He says with a smile.

The two Poliwag look over at the Berries and then back to the Poliwhirl, the want obvious in their eyes. The Poliwhirl looks at him suspiciously, so Alex gives it a kind smile and nods his head. The Poliwhirl nods, giving its okay and the two younger Pokémon quickly waddle over and begin to munch on their berry halves. The Poliwhirl slowly goes over to the remaining berry and while still keeping an eye on him, begins to eat.

"See that's not so bad, is it?" Alex asks. He gently runs his hands up and down Bree's back as they watch the three water types eat.

When they finish Alex stands up and begins to gather his things. The three tadpole Pokémon watching him carefully.

"Now you guys be careful in the future okay. Another trainer might have tried to capture you so just be careful that you don't stray too far onto established paths like this." He warns them.

"Alright Bree, I think we're rested enough, lets head out." He points her pokeball at her. "Return." And with a beam of red light Bree is sucked into her Pokeball.

"You three take care now." And with a final wave he sets back out on the road towards Viridian city.

**xXx-Scene Break-xXx**

Alex lets out a sigh as he looks up at the storm clouds that are now rolling in. _'Great rain.'_ He thinks to himself in a dead-pan voice. He looks around quickly and finds some trees to hide under. _'Not the best place considering the lightning but better than standing out and alone in the middle of the road.'_

Alex pulls out a small umbrella and sits down against the trees. "I hope this storm passes soon."

He startles as the lightning begins to strike and thunder rolls in the distance. Luckily for him he seems to mostly be on the outskirts of the storm, with the worst of it taking place over a hill a couple of miles back. For the next few minutes he watches the storm rage in silent awe, amazed at the sheer power of it. Even for a summer storm it was pretty bad. There is one last brilliant flash of lightning, bigger than any he had ever seen before. And then the storm begins to die down, the clouds rolling away and soon the sky is clear as if the storm had never been there in the first place.

Quick and fierce lightning storms weren't exactly uncommon this time of year, still this one had been pretty strange.

"Oh well, it's done now, might as well get a move on."

And with that he shakes off his umbrella and then places it back in his pack. Just as he's about to take off he hears a voice call out to him.

"Heeey Aaaaleeeexxx!"

He looks up startled to see Leliana Leaf waving her arms and jogging towards him. Leliana is a pretty girl with long, light brown hair and blue eyes. She always wore a white hat with a red pokeball symbol on it, as well as a blue sleeveless top and a short pink skirt. She was his best friend and they had known each other since they were in diapers. He actually had a huge crush on her. When he had confessed his feelings for her, she had been really kind about it, but had ultimately turned him down, telling him that while she cared for him it wasn't in a romantic way.

After that things between them had been a little awkward for a while, but she never teased him about it and she had never stopped being his friend, but he had been stupid and couldn't quite get over the rejection. Things between them returned back to normal when one day she had punched Gary in the face for teasing him about his crush and had given him a black eye. She had been suspended from school for a week for her actions, and had been grounded for a month by her parents but things between them returned to normal. He still had feelings for her and she was still aware of them but they no longer came between them.

Alex smiles as he stops and waits for her, he raises his arm and waves in greeting as well.

"Hey L, how's it going?" He asks with a big smile on his face. Leliana, along with Gary Oak and Ash Ketchem, were all starting their journeys today as well.

"Woo, pretty good. That was some freaky storm wasn't it? Ha ha ha ha."

"Yeah but we seemed to have missed the worst of it."

"True, so did you hear? Gary's parents bought him a car and his mom is going to drive him around the region for his journey."

Alex arches his brow in confusion at that. "Isn't the point of a Pokemon journey to… I don't know, go out on your own and experience the world?"

"Ha ha ha ha ha, I know right, still it must be nice to not have to walk everywhere. Aaaand did you hear, he's also got this whole group of cheerleaders following him as well."

Alex scoffs at that. "I bet it's just his sister Daisy." Thinking of his sister's best friend. "She and her friends are all cheerleaders at the high school remember, she never really had any interest in going on a Pokémon journey, but traveling around and having fun with friend's sounds like her style."

"Yeah you're probably right, still it'll probably be nice for him to have all of that help."

"Probably, but you know Gary, unless he's trying to show off to someone them being there will probably just bug the heck out of him, so he'll probably just be a brat most of the time."

"Yeah and Daisy is really nice, she'll put up with it too and cheer him on anyway. How someone as nice as her could be related to a jerk like him is beyond me."

"And don't forget that Professor Oak is his grandfather." Alex reminds her.

"Oh wow I completely forgot that! Yeah… that is weird."

Alex shakes his head fondly at his friend's antics. She was smart, but could be a little absent minded at times. "So did you see Ash at all?" He asks, curious about the son of his mom's best friend.

Leliana giggles. "Nope, that lazy bum probably slept in."

Alex starts to chuckle as well. "Yeah, that sounds like him."

"Soooo…" Leliana says suddenly giving him an appraising look. "What Pokémon did you choose?"

Alex grabs his pokeball and spins it on his finger, giving her a cocky look. "Oh, nothing really. Only the greatest starter Pokémon anyone could ever ask for."

Leliana grabs her pokeball as well, and begins to confidently toss it between her hands while smirking. "Not possible considering who I chose, but I guess you've always been a _little_ delusional."

They both drop the arrogant attitudes after a few moments and begin to laugh. "No seriously Alex, who did you choose?"

"Charmander of course."

"Of course." She says with a smile.

"And you?"

"I've got myself a Bulbasaur. He's pretty cool, definitely a tough guy." She says fondly, thinking of her new partner.

"Weeeell… we're here, we're both trainers, how about it? You want to battle?" He asks.

"Sure, but don't expect me to go easy on you just because we're friends."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

Both trainers step back away from each other and move off the road onto a grassy field. They clutch their pokeballs in excitement, both eager to take part in their very first Pokémon battle.

"GO Bulbasaur!"

"C'mon out, Bree!"

"Bulba!" Leliana's Bulbasuar lets out an intimidating roar, well as intimidating as a young Bulbasaur is able to anyway.

"Charmander!" Bree lets out her own "fierce" growl.

"We'll battle until one of us gives up or our Pokémon is unable to battle. Deal?" Leliana calls out.

"Deal."

"Alright then, Bulbasaur tackle attack!"

"Bree, quick jump out of the way and use tail whip!"

As the Bulbasaur charges in Bree listens carefully for her trainers command. It was a little nerve wracking to see something barreling towards you with all its might, knowing that it wants to hit you, to hurt you, but she knew from her lessons back at the lab that if she listened to her trainer then everything would be okay. So when he called out for her to jump out of the way and use tail whip that is exactly what she did.

She pushed away with all her might and while doing so swung her tail as hard as she could in the process and she was surprised to see the Bulbasaur flinch and back away from the flame on her tail.

"Alright Bree, follow that up with scratch!" Bree quickly dashed forward her tiny claws extended as she slashes at her enemy.

"Bulbasaur jump back and use growl!"

The deep reverberating noise that emanated from the other Pokémon startled Bree, so while her attack connected it didn't have as much force behind it as it normally would have.

"Bulbasuar tackle it again."

This time there was no time for Bree to jump out of the way and the attack connected, knocking her to the ground and sending her rolling for a few feet.

"Bree get up and hold your position, wait for my next order!"

The tackle had hurt, but beyond that there was an excitement building within her. So this was a Pokémon battle, she had been a little worried when she had first learned of them. Afraid of getting hurt, or not being good enough but now that she was experiencing one first hand she was excited, she felt alive. She nods her head in acknowledgement of her trainer's command and stares down her foe waiting for it to make its next move.

"Bulbasaur great hit, do it again! Charge in there again with another tackle attack!"

As the grass type charges at her again, moving at a decent speed for a Pokémon of its size and build, Bree has to fight her natural instinct to jump out of the way and instead follow her trainer's command. She had to trust that he was observing the battle and would know the right move to make and when to make it. So if he tells her to wait then that is what she will do.

Just as the lumbering beast was about to reach her she hears her trainer call out. "Quick, take a step forward and use tail whip again!"

It seemed like a weird command, to move into the enemy attack, but she followed the command anyway and swung her tail once again at the oncoming grass type for all that she was worth. And to her surprise the enemy Pokémon stopped its attack and jumped back out of the way, allowing its self to dodge the full force of her tail, but still getting lightly singed by the flame on the end.

"Great job Bree! Hold your position again and wait."

"Bulbasaur! Are you okay!?" Leliana shouts out in concern.

"Bulba!" Bulbasaur nods in the affirmative. "Okay Bulbasaur, charge in there with everything you've got, don't stop! Tackle attack, full power!"

"Bree, wait for it… NOW! Step to your left and tail whip once again!"

Bree quickly moved to her left and while, the tackle did graze her she avoided the brunt of it and was able to slam her tail into the side of the Bulbasaur and send it sprawling.

"Quick Bree, follow that up with a scratch attack!"

Bree once again dashed toward her opponent, her claws extended, as she brings them down on her opponent.

"Bulbasaur look out!"

But it was too late and the Bulbasaur had no chance to avoid the attack.

"BULBA!" It cries out in pain and frustration as it was knocked away again. Bulbasaur tries to get up after the attack, and manages to do so, but finds that its limbs are feeling a little shaky. That attack had done way more damage than it should have.

"Bulbasaur quick, dodge out of the way!"

Bulbasaur looked up startled as the little fire Pokémon quickly brings its claws down for a third attack but luckily he was able to jump back out of the way.

"Bulbasaur tackle!"

The grass Pokémon charges forward, but just like before his opponent steps to the side and slams him with her tail. The actual tail itself, while providing a little force, doesn't actually hurt all that much. The flame on the end of that tail is another story however. And before he can register his trainers next command he feels his enemy's claws come down with another scratch attack. This one knocks him to the ground as well, and again he can't help but notice that the attack deals just a little more damage than it should, while this is running through his mind, his vision begins to blur and finally after struggling for a few seconds he lets the darkness consume him and he faints.

"Oh no! Bulbasaur return!" the red energy beam from the pokeball envelopes the grass type Pokémon and he is sucked back into his pokeball. "You did great buddy, I'll do better next time I promise. You rest now." Leliana whispers to her pokeball, saddened at their loss, but really proud of the effort her friend put up.

Meanwhile across the field, Alex had rushed over to his Pokémon and picked her up, twirling her around in excitement while laughing. "Great job Bree! You did it, you did it! You won your very first Pokémon battle! I am so proud of you!"

"Charmander, charmander, char!" Bree laughs as well, feeling really proud of herself while basking in her trainer's affection. She nuzzles into his chest as he brings her in for a hug. So that was a Pokémon battle. She had never felt so energized in her entire life, she finally understood what the big deal about them was and she couldn't wait for her next one. But most importantly she loved this feeling of being with her trainer. During the course of the battle they had connected in a way that would never have been possible otherwise, they had almost become one. This feeling, this bonding with her trainer was beyond expression and she knew from this moment forward that she would follow him where ever he led.

"So Bree huh?" A soft voice asks.

Alex turns to his friend who is looking at him with a mixture of sadness, and pride, while a gentle smile plays on her lips.

Alex nods his head in response to her question.

"It's a fitting choice," She then looks at the fire lizard in his arms. "You were pretty fantastic out there, good job." Leliana congratulates her.

"Char." Bree thanks the girl shyly.

"But don't expect the next battle go the same way, Bulbasaur and I are going to do some serious training and then we're going to have a rematch."

"Char." Bree nods her head resolutely, excited at the prospect of fighting that Bulbasaur again.

"Well I guess I better get to the Viridian City Pokémon Center. It was great seeing you Alex, I hope we run into each other again soon."

"Yeah, it was great seeing you too L… Do… do you need a potion… for Bulbasaur… I mean, is he going to be okay?" Alex asks awkwardly in concern.

"No he'll be fine, I've already administered a potion and he should be just fine. I just want to get him checked over to be sure."

"Good, I'm glad…" Alex trails off awkwardly. His feelings for the girl make his heart clench and he's not sure what to say next. A part of him wants to ask her to travel with him. Maybe if they traveled together she might change her mind and want to be with him, but another part of him, a bigger part, realizes that this journey is one that they both need to take alone. That this journey is their first step into the world and becoming adults and that as much as it hurts that she doesn't like him the way that he would like her to, she is still his friend and that as her friend he needs to want what's best for her. Even if it means she isn't with him.

She smiles at him softly and touches his arm gently as if she understands what he is thinking and the look of gratitude in her eyes is enough to let him know that he is doing the right thing in not pressing the issue.

"I'm really glad I ran into you and I'm really glad that I could experience my first Pokémon battle with you." She says shyly.

Alex nods his head and a blush adorns his cheeks, the two of them continue to stare at each other as an awkward silence falls upon the group. Bree looks between the two humans and wonders what the heck is going on? Why aren't they more revved up, especially after that epic battle she was just in, _aaaand_ had won, thank you very much. Okay, so she could understand why the human female was acting a little weird, she had just lost after all. But the lack of celebrating on her trainer's part was unacceptable, and so she made her displeasure known.

"Charmander!" Bree exclaims in a scolding voice.

Both trainers snap out of their inner contemplations and laugh as they rub the back of their heads in an embarrassed manner.

"Sorry."

"Sorry."

"So… So anyway, I'll see you both around, good job on your victory, both of you." And with a final wave Leliana takes off.

Alex watches her go for a few more seconds before turning his attention back to his Charmander. "You did great Bree, really, I am super proud of you."

"Charmander." Bree says pleased that the attention of her trainer is back on her. "Let me give you a quick once over, make sure you're okay and then we'll continue on. Once we reach the city I think someone deserves a big celebratory dinner for a job well done. Sound good to you?"

"Char!" Bree cheers, glad that her trainer seems to be acting normal again. She liked that human female well enough, but if her presence was going to make her trainer act all weird then she was going to have to keep a very close eye on her.

**s**

** Author's Note. So there you have it, chapter two of Alex's Pokémon adventure. Not sure when I'll update again but this story has just been sitting in my computer for ages, gathering dust and so I thought I would share it. Let me know what you think.**


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